We learned just hours ago that in the debate over the federal government shutdown, the U.S. House, led by abortion advocate Nancy Pelosi, has passed a spending bill over to the Senate that would give overseas abortion groups access to millions of YOUR taxpayer dollars.Unfortunately, seven Republicans joined with numerous Democrats to move this bill in the House. That means we really can’t just assume all the Republicans in the Senate will vote no on this bill.

You should NEVER be forced to fund abortion groups in America or anywhere in the world.

That’s why I’m asking you to help.

Our friends at the Susan B. Anthony List – one of the leading pro-life groups in America – are launching a campaign to encourage every pro-life U.S. Senator to STRIKE DOWN this bill.

Without notice, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) has moved two fetal tissue bills out of their original committees and into the Committee on Assembly Organization. These bills make up the Heal Without Harm Legislative Initiative, (SB 423/AB 549 and SB 424/AB 550), authored by Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), that would ban the sale and use of body parts from aborted babies and inform parents about the ability to donate their miscarried or stillborn child’s tissue.

If Speaker Vos and the Committee on Assembly Organization do not advance the Heal Without Harm Legislative Initiative, then it can only be assumed that this move is intended to kill these bills.

The Heal Without Harm (HWH) Legislative Initiative – SB 423/AB 549 and SB 424/AB 550 (Sen. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls, and Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc) – would ban the sale and use of the body parts of aborted babies and instead encourage the donation of tissue for research from children who are stillborn or miscarried.

Without notice, AB 549 and AB 550 have been pulled from their previously assigned committees and put into the Committee on Assembly Organization.

The public has a right to know why these bills were moved and if the committee has any intention of sending them to the floor for a vote.

Today the U.S. Senate Will Vote on S. 2311, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

Call Senator Ron Johnson at 202-224-5323 and Senator Tammy Baldwin at 202-224-5653 to ask them to support S. 2311. We must protect unborn babies from painful, late-term abortions.

This bill will protect the lives of the unborn, especially when substantial medical evidence indicates that the child is capable of feeling pain during an abortion procedure. By 20 weeks gestation, an unborn child has pain receptors all over his or her body.

As Congressman Chris Smith said, “Abortionists all over America decapitate, dismember, and chemically poison babies each and every day.” He called this bill a “modest but necessary attempt to at least protect babies who are 20 weeks old.”

CALL NOW! Vote is said to be scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m. CST.

Though cosponsored by nearly a third of the Wisconsin Legislature, the Heal Without Harm Initiative – a set of bills that would ensure fetal tissue research in Wisconsin continues without controversy – lingers in committee without action. The Fetal Remains Respect Act (SB 423/AB 549) and the Unborn Child Disposition and Anatomical Gift Act (SB 424/AB 550), authored by Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), would ban the sale and use of body parts from aborted babies and inform parents about the ability to donate their miscarried or stillborn child’s tissue.

Initial introduction of the Senate bills was delayed by legislative leaders for months. Even though the bills received a hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety in early November, Committee Chair Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) has yet to hold a vote on the bills. Senator Wanggaard’s office has indicated that the Chair will not schedule a committee vote until a majority of Senators consent to vote for the bill on the Senate floor. (more…)

The Heal Without Harm (HWH) Legislative Initiative – SB 423/AB 549 and SB 424/AB 550 (Sen. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls, and Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc) – would ban the sale and use of the body parts of aborted babies and instead encourage the donation of tissue for research from children who are stillborn or miscarried.

Currently, SB 423 and SB 424 have received public hearings, but Senate Judiciary and Public Safety committee Chair Senator Van Wanggaard has indicated he will not advance the bills out of committee unless Senators make their support for these bills known. However, Chair Wanggaard has advanced numerous bills through his committee with fewer Senate co-sponsors and with far less Senator support at the public hearing.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgeraldsupports this highly unusual delay in getting these bills out of committee. However, there are no Senate rules requiring bills to have sufficient floor votes in order to be voted out of committee; and many bills advance out of committee without prior knowledge of who will vote in favor of or against them on the floor.

The public has a right to know what committee members think about the Heal Without Harm Initiative.

Please:

Call Senator Fitzgerald at 608-266-5660 and urge that a committee vote on SB 423 and SB 424 be held ASAP.

Call Senator Wanggaard at 608-266-1832 and urge him to hold a committee vote on SB 423 and SB 424 ASAP.

The Senate will convene on January 23 for one of the last times this session. Tell Senators Fitzgerald and Wanggaard to support the democratic process and hold an executive session on these bills now! Committee action now means the Senate could vote on these bills on January 23!

Questions? Take some time to visit the HWH Q&A to learn more about this critical issue.Thank you for standing with us for life!

The Senate Education Committee recently held a public hearing on two bills regarding federal- and state-mandated standardized tests in public, charter, opportunity and choice schools. Senate Bill 222 requires school districts to consolidate and publicize information about each test, including grades administered in, reason for the test, and what the district will do with the results. Senate Bill 234 makes it clear that no matter the grade-level where a state or federal standardized test is given, parents can opt their children out of these tests.

Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) are the lead authors on the bills. They believe parents are responsible for the education of their children and that schools should take reasonable actions to help them in making wise educational decisions. Both of these common-sense, parent-focused bills have already passed in the state assembly; they just need a senate vote.

Call your state senator today and ask them to support Senate Bills 222 and 234.
Find your legislator HERE. (Simply enter your address into the search box in the upper right-hand corner.)

The Heal Without Harm (HWH) Legislative Initiative – SB 423/AB 549 and SB 424/AB 550 (Sen. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls and Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc) – would ban the sale and use of aborted fetal body parts and instead encourage the donation of tissue from children who are stillborn or miscarried for use in research.

Currently, SB 423 and SB 424 have received public hearings, but Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chair Van Wanggaard has indicated he will not advance the bills out of committee unless Senators make their support for these bills known. AB 550 has received a public hearing and will be voted out of committee thanks to the quick action of Assembly Health Committee Chair Joe Sanfelipppo. AB 549 has been separated from AB 550 and was sent to the Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee chaired by Representative John Spiros and has yet to receive a public hearing.

Please call your State Senator ASAP and urge him/her to do the following:
Support SB 423 and SB 424 and make that support known by contacting Sen. Van Wanggaard.
Ask Sen. Waggaard to hold an executive session on SB 423 and SB 424 and vote to advance these bills out of committee ASAP.

Please call your State Representative ASAP and urge him/her to do the following:
Ask Rep. John Spiros to hold a public hearing and executive session on AB 549 ASAP.

Don’t know your State Senator and State Representative? Go to legis.wisconsin.gov and type in your home address under “Find My Legislators” or call the Legislative Hotline: 1-800-362-9472. After you call your Senator, contact the HWH Coalition with any feedback you received.

Questions? Take some time to visit our HWH Q&A to learn more about this critical issue.

Seven months after two bills were given to State Senate President Republican Roger Roth, they are now finally formally introduced. Senate rules stipulate that the Senate President is to “promptly” introduce bills given to him from senate authors. Introduction includes getting a bill number and a committee assignment, the first major steps in the legislative process. (more…)

July 17, 2017 – Madison, WI – Wisconsin Family Action president Julaine Appling will attend the Assembly Committee on Science and Technology tomorrow at the state capitol and register favor of Assembly Bill 206 (companion bill SB 154) which prohibits both the UW System and Clinics Authority employees from performing abortions during the scope of their employment. The bills were introduced by State Representative André Jacque (R-De Pere) and State Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) respectively. (more…)

AB 64 – Budget bill – currently at a standstill as Republican-controlled Senate and Assembly have major disagreements over at least 2 key areas of spending: K12 education and transportation. WFA has weighed in on several budget provisions, including funding a PR campaign to promote the Success Sequence (finish school, get a job, marry and then have kids), an amendment that gives Christian/Bible camps the same amount of tax exempt property as all other camps in Wisconsin.

AB 128/SB 81 – companion bills that prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions for state employees (related to state health insurance programs). Assembly committee has held a public hearing on the bill and voted in favor of it going to the full Assembly. The Senate has taken no action on the bill. WFA supports the bill and testified in the Assembly hearing in support of it.

AB 206/SB154 – companion bills that stop the cozy relationship that currently exists allowing UW Medical School employees to perform abortions at Madison Planned Parenthood. No hearing has been scheduled in either the Assembly or the Senate. WFA supports the bill.

AB 208/SB 157 – extends existing $5000 tax deduction to Wisconsin families who finalize adoptions in another state or country, but bring the child to live in Wisconsin. Assembly committee held a public hearing on the bill. No action on the Senate side. WFA supports the bill and testified in the Assembly hearing.

AB 300 & AB 304 – AB 300 requires that parents receive notice of all federal, state and local mandated tests their children will be expected to take. AB 304 allows parents to opt their children out of any federal or state mandated test or any local assessment, as long as the test is not required for high-school graduation (e.g., civics test). A hearing has been held on both bills in the Assembly. No action in the Senate. WFA attended the Assembly hearing and registered in support of both bills.

AB 48 – commonly referred to as the “Blue Lives Matter” bill. Adds crimes against members of law enforcement to existing hate crimes statutes. Hearing held in Assembly. No Senate version of the bill is currently introduced. WFA opposes this bill on the grounds that trying to add something good to a bad law, doesn’t make the bad law good and the bill is far more symbolic than substantive.

This week a Wisconsin Assembly Committee held a public hearing on two bills, AB 300 & AB 304, that would ensure school districts provide timely and complete notification to parents about any and all federal, state or local mandated tests, except those required for high-school graduation and would also make it clear that parents in public schools have a right to opt their children out of any federal or state mandated test, except for a test, like the Civics test, that is required for graduation. State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du lac) and State Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) have authored the bills.

WFA president Julaine Appling states, “Laws that protect the right of parents to know what is happening in the schools and that safeguard the right of parents to opt their children out of standardized tests are appropriate. We all want local control. But when school boards make it difficult for parents to know and act in the best interest of their children, it’s time for a higher level of government to step in on behalf of parents.”

State Rep. André Jacque (R-DePere, photo left) and Sen. Dave Craig (R-Town of Vernon) have introduced a bill (AB 127) that would stop the state from making health insurance plans that cover abortions available to employees. The bill had a public hearing in the Assembly Health Committee on Wednesday, April 19. While no pro-abortion groups showed up to testify against the bill, three Democrat women committee members, all with former ties to the abortion industry, took the bill, the authors, and others in favor of the measure to task, alleging the proposal reduces women’s access to abortion. Supporters strongly disagreed.

Julaine Appling testified in favor of this bill stating, “As I said in the hearing last week, state law says no taxpayer funds are to be used to pay for abortions, but right now taxpayers are paying for some abortions through these state health insurance plans. Abortion is not health care. Nor is it a medically necessary procedure as these women each alleged. Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for anyone’s abortion, directly or indirectly.”

View the full recorded testimony from Wisconsin Family Action HERE courtesy of Wisconsin Eye.

On Wednesday, April 26, AB 127 cleared the state Assembly Health Committee.and is now headed to the full Assembly for consideration.

Testimony in Support of Assembly Bill 57 Assembly Committee on Public Benefits Reform Public Hearing, April 11, 2017Julaine Appling President, Wisconsin Family Action

Thank you, Chairman Krug and committee members, for the opportunity to submit in writing the testimony I gave today before the committee in support of Assembly Bill 57.

Wisconsin Family Action (WFA) believes the very best environment for children is to live with their married mother and father. Unfortunately, that gold standard is not reality for very child. In situations where the child’s best interest has already been sacrificed too often on the altar of adult desires through divorce or unwed child birth, we believe it is mportant that children be as closely tied to their biological parents as possible, assuming parental rights have not been terminated for good reason.

Further, Wisconsin Family Action believes our citizens are much better off, and as a result, our entire state is much better off when our citizens are independent of government. Public benefit programs can, if not managed very carefully,, keep people from becoming independent, but rather contributing to keeping people in poverty by not requiring some measure of personal responsibility..To this point, Governor Walker has said recently he believes public benefits should be a trampoline, not a hammock.

Wisconsin Family Action believes Assembly Bill 57, authored by Rep. Sanfelippo and Sen. Kapenga, helps with both of what I just laid out. It is a bill about acknowledging and accepting responsibility as a parent of a child in at least two ways: paternity and related child support. The idea behind the bill is that custodial or non-custodial parents who wish to receive FoodShare benefits need to cooperate in determining paternity, establishing or enforcing a child support order, and being no more than 3 months in arrears on child support. These requirements are reasonable and are about the best interest of the child.

The fastest way for a woman or a child to experience poverty is for them to be involved in a divorce or unwed childbirth. Some of this poverty experience can be alleviated if the biological father of the child is known and then held accountable for, at a minimum, contributing to the financial needs of the child through child support. Public benefits should not “reward” bad behavior, particularly when minor children are involved. (While the preceding focuses on non-custodial fathers, the reality is a woman, whether custodial or non-custodial, guilty of obstructing a support order or being delinquent in child support, would also be denied FoodShares under this bill.)

WFA does not see AB 57 as punitive but rather as an appropriate push towards parental responsibility by a reasonable withholding of a public benefit. Public benefits doled out without requirements become hammocks rather than trampolines.

Thank you for your careful consideration of this bill. Wisconsin Family Action urges the committee to pass AB 57 and move it to the full Assembly for a floor vote.

Publications I referred to in my remarks and responses to questions are available online.

This month State Senator Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and State Representative Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) sent a memo to their legislative colleagues inviting them to join them as co-sponsors of the bill package known as the Heal Without Harm Initiative. This initiative is comprised of two bills.

One bill bans the trade and use of the body parts of aborted babies and requires that they be given an appropriate final disposition.

The second bill requires” facilities where a woman could experience a tragic miscarriage or stillbirth to inform women that they can voluntarily donate their child for research. The bill also provides that facilities where a woman miscarries or delivers a stillborn baby arrange for the proper disposition of the baby.

The bills are strongly supported by the Heal Without Harm Coalition, comprised of the state’s main pro-life groups: Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Right to Life, Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Catholic Conference.

“Many pro-life Wisconsin citizens were very upset that a similar bill did not pass last session. These bills are even better than that bill. The package is all about recognizing the dignity and humanity of aborted, stillborn or miscarried babies,” said WFA president Julaine Appling..

For more details on the Heal Without Harm Initiative and this issue in general, click “CONTINUE READING” below.

CLICK HERE to find our your state senator and state representative are and their phone number. Simply type your street address in the space under “Find My Legislators” and hit “enter.”

A few weeks ago 2 Republicans, Sen. Alberta Darling (River Hills) and Rep. Cindi Duchow (Waukesha) introduced a bill that they claim stops the sale and use of the body parts of aborted babies. None of the state’s pro-life groups were consulted on the bill. Heal Without Harm Coalition analyzed the bill and found it pretty severely lacking. Parts of the bill are confusing, and it also has significant exceptions that would basically allow the UW to continue doing research using the body parts and tissue of aborted babies. All four main pro-life groups have registered as opposing this bill.

Two bills have recently been introduced in the Wisconsin Legislature to provide a path forward for biomedical research that honors the dignity of the human beings that it is meant to serve. These are the Fetal Remains Respect Act and the Unborn Child Disposition and Anatomical Gift Act, part of the Heal Without Harm Legislative Initiative. Contrary to what some claim, these bills do not stifle research. As scientists, we wholeheartedly support this initiative to support and advocate for biomedical research that benefits all human persons, without sacrificing one for another.

Wisconsin Family Action is a proud member of the Heal Without Harm Ethical Research Coalition (HWH), comprised of Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin. The HWH Coalition supports ending the trade and use of abortion-derived baby body parts, while also promoting ethical alternatives in research.

The HWH Coalition has serious concerns about recently circulated state legislation because it would continue to permit trafficking and use of children whose lives were taken by abortion. This perpetuates the exploitation of the unborn. The Coalition urges state legislators to refrain from supporting this flawed proposal.

To learn more about our efforts and recent developments in legislation, CLICK HERE.

Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature are circulating a bill to legalize medical marijuana.

The proposal by state Sen. Jon Erpenbach and Rep. Chris Taylor comes after Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he would be open to the idea. Republicans have typically been against any attempts to legalize marijuana.

WFA president Julaine Appling says, “I’m not sure why Republican Speaker Robin Vos is open to the idea. Most Republicans oppose this idea and the slippery slope it creates. While some claim this is an important medical treatment, many others point out the legal issues for doctors, remind us of the addictive nature of marijuana and point out other treatments exist that don’t involve this addictive narcotic.”

A Choose Life Wisconsin license plate is becoming a reality. The red, white and black plate features an ink print of a baby’s foot and the words Choose Life. The effort began years ago as a cooperative project of Wisconsin Family Action and Pro-Life Wisconsin. $25 from the sale of each plate will go to Choose Life Wisconsin, an independent not-for-profit corporation. Choose Life Wisconsin will then distribute those funds to various Wisconsin Pregnancy Resource Centers. Over $23 million has been raised nationally from the sale of Choose Life plates in various states.

On Tuesday, 9/22, the Senate Committee on Human Health and Service held a public hearing on Senate Bill 260 (companion AB 305 – bans the sale and use of the body parts and tissues of aborted babies) Senate Bill 237 (companion AB 310 – redirects about $7.5 million annually of taxpayer money away from Planned Parenthood of WI), and Senate Bill 238 (companion AB 311 – bans family-planning centers from overbilling the state for drugs they dispense). WFA attended the hearing and testified in favor of the bills along former Iowa Planned Parenthood manager Sue Thayer and Alliance Defending Freedom Attorney Natalie Decker who specializes in exposing Planned Parenthood’s fraud and abuse. (more…)

On Tuesday, 9/22, the Senate Committee on Human Health and Service held a public hearing on Senate Bill 260 (bans the sale and use of the body parts and tissues of aborted babies) Senate Bill 237 (redirects about $7.5 million annually of taxpayer money away from Planned Parenthood of WI), and Senate Bill 238 (bans family-planning centers from overbilling the state for drugs they dispense). WFA president Julaine Appling attended the hearing and testified in favor of the bills.

Read the testimonies here:

Testimony on SB 260, click HERE“Aborted babies are not commodities to be transferred on the open market, even for scientific purposes.”

Testimony on SB 237, click HERE“I have included with my testimony a map with the current locations of the eighteen service sites (nine of which are Planned Parenthood clinics) that currently receive the Title X funding, as appropriate by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.”

Testimony on SB 238, click HERE“While family planning clinics may not have been trying to purposely defraud state taxpayers, their questionable billing practices are in fact a misuse of Medicaid funds in Wisconsin.”

We urge the passage of AB 305/SB 260 to uphold the integrity of medical research, which is intended to heal without harm, for the following reasons:

Ethical, effective alternatives to abortion-derived fetal tissue exist and more will be discovered if researchers strive to heal without harm.  The dependence of fetal tissue research on the abortion industry helps to legitimize abortion and further embed it in our educational and medical institutions.

An aborted unborn child did not consent to his or her destruction. Full respect for our aborted brothers and sisters demands that they receive a proper burial, not dissection and experimentation.

Human beings must never be treated as a means to an end, however noble.

Wisconsin has an extraordinary opportunity with AB 305/SB 260 to lead the nation by championing research that is ethical, innovative, and effective. Such a commitment to heal without harm would truly uphold our state’s proud tradition of social justice and respect for human life.

On Wednesday, 9/9, the Assembly Health Committee voted to pass Assembly Bill 305, a bill that prohibits the use and sale of baby body parts and provides a criminal penalty. Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) chaired the hearing.

Rep. John Spiros (R-Marshfield) and Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) voted with committee Democrats against the bill.

“We are very pleased that this critical bill passed in the committee., states Julaine Appling, WFA president, “Representative Joel Kleefisch, who is also a co-author of the bill, did an excellent job in the chair. Like Rep. Kleefisch we are a bit surprised that 2 Republican legislators who claim they are pro-life did not fully support this proposal. We look forward to having this bill, without amendments that seriously compromise it, on the Assembly floor in the very near future.

WFA president Julaine Appling states, “WFA has actively and aggressively supported this bill every time it has been introduced in the legislature, and we are excited to now see this bill through to enactment. We encourage legislative leadership and Governor Walker to move AB 305 forward with a vote and a signature in this fall’s legislative session.”

ACT NOW: State Legislature To Hold Public Hearing on Bills Defunding Planned Parenthood of WI

YOU can make a huge difference in these bills!

This Wednesday, September 2, the Assembly Health Committee will hold a public hearing in the State Capitol on two bills (AB 310 and AB 311–see below for more information) that that will further defund Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI), the state’s largest abortion provider.

PLEASE ACT NOW!

1. ATTEND – If at all possible, please ATTEND the Assembly Health Committee PUBLIC HEARING this Wednesday in Room 417 North of the State Capitol Building at 9:00 a.m. and register in support of AB 310 and AB 311. You can register in support of the bills but not speaking, or you can register in support and indicate you want to speak. Most important is that you register in SUPPORT of the bills.2.CALL/E-MAIL – If you cannot attend the public hearing, please CALL or EMAIL your state representative and state senator NOW and urge him/her to DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF WISCONSIN – PASS AB 310 & AB 311!

To find out who your state representative or state senator is, click HERE. In the space under “Find My Legislators,” type in your street address, city and zip code and hit “Find.” A map will come up and a box will show you your state senator and state representative and their contact information.

3. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO OTHERS & URGE THEM TO JOIN YOU!

Authored by Representative André Jacque (R-De Pere), Assembly Bill (AB) 310 and Assembly Bill (AB) 311 together will eliminate approximately $7.5 million of taxpayer public funding from PPWI.

Wisconsin Family Action (WFA) president Julaine Appling with attend the hearing and give testimony in favor of both bills. In cooperation with our national ally Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), WFA is hosting Casey Mattox and Sue Thayer. Mattox, senior counsel with ADF, is a national expert on Planned Parenthood’s fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Thayer is a former manager of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland clinic in Iowa. Both Mattox and Thayer will testify at the hearing on Wednesday.

Assembly Bill 310 would redirect federal Title X family planning funds away from Planned Parenthood of WI to public entities including state, county, and local health departments and clinics. Currently, more than $3 million annually in Title X funds are granted directly to PPWI. There are 162 federally qualified Health Clinics and Rural Health Clinics in WI where the money can go to assist low-income women can receive reproductive-related health care.

Assembly Bill 311 would dramatically reduce PPWI’s Medicaid reimbursement rate for contraceptive drugs, reimbursing them at the actual cost they pay for these drugs, not the artificially inflated rate they and other family-planning clinics are currently receiving. Rep. Jacque estimates this will eliminate $4.5 million from PPWI.

In 2011, WFA joined with other pro-life organizations, especially Pro-Life Wisconsin, in defunding PPWI of $1 million annually by redirecting funds from the state budget to other non-abortion-performing or referring health programs/clinics. The net result? Planned Parenthood of WI has closed 5 of their facilities around the state!

Imagine what will happen when $7.5 million of your tax dollars is gone from PPWI!